ZAKA's Night: Rescue Missions & Suspected Soldier Abduction

Arutz Sheva TV joined the ZAKA crews as they dealt with the results of the weather and an emergency situation which was eventually cancelled

By Yoni Kempinski

First Publish: 1/9/2013, 1:51 PM

Since the current storm began Tuesday morning, ZAKA volunteers and staff, together with all other rescue forces in Israel, have been working around the clock to help stranded citizens and assist people in need. Arutz Sheva TV visited the Petach Tikvah ZAKA "War Room" as the crews were being sent out on rescue missions.

"We have prepared ourselves for various life-saving missions in cooperation with all the rescue forces", explained Commander of ZAKA's Special Units Chaim Outmezgine, " We have jeeps for reaching locations which only 4 by 4 vehicles can reach, and divers and boats for rescue missions. During the day we were called around 5 times, thank G-d everyone was saved".

As we met the ZAKA volunteers in action they were dealing with two parallel assignments: the diving crew was setting off to the community of Bat Hefer to help people stranded in the floods, in life-threatening danger, and in addition, without any connection to the weather, the volunteers were called in from their homes to assist in search of a victim of what seemed to be a soldier abduction.

"We received information about a woman who witnessed six people who didn't look Israeli forcefully pushing a soldier into a car", explained Outmezgine, "Roadblocks were put up, and our jeep unit was ready to set out to search for the suspected vehicle". However eventually it was understood that the woman witnessed the arrest of illegal foreign workers and the assistance of a soldier in the arrest. "The issue was resolved, and we are continuing with our weather related missions", said Outmezgine and returned to the dispatching of his emergency crews.